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原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 31, 2020 is: macabre • \muh-KAHB\  • adjective 1 : having death as a subject : comprising or including a personalized representation of death 2 : dwelling on the gruesome 3 : tending to produce horror in a beholder Examples: “The secret of Killing Eve is that its macabre sense of humor and spy-story subversions are ornamental compared with the series’ grist: the strange, transformative pull the two main characters have on each other.” — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic , 5 Apr. 2019 “Described as a surgeon by the newspapers, Holmes was charged with having broken into a vault in Hendon churchyard on 13 September 1828 … and cut the heads off three bodies. This strange and macabre story is quite unique, yet the reasons Holmes gave for his actions still applied directly to the advancement and development of medical understanding.” — Suzie Lennox, Bodysnatchers , 2016 Did you know? We trace the origins of macabre t...

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原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 30, 2020 is: gist • \JIST\  • noun 1 : the ground of a legal action 2 : the main point or part : essence Examples: I didn’t catch every word, but I heard enough to get the gist of the conversation. “Ironically, the debate largely occurred on Twitter, one of the most effective disruptors of work productivity ever invented. And the  gist  was this: To succeed professionally, many Silicon Valley types said, one must be prepared to work not just long, but indeed punishing hours—workers must be prepared to give up ‘nights and weekends.'”— Ethan Epstein, The Washington Times , 29 Dec. 2019 Did you know? The word gist often appears in such contexts as “the gist of the conversation was that…” to let us know that what follows will be a statement or summary that in some way encapsulates the main point or overarching theme. The gist of a conversation, argument, story, or what-have-you is what we rely on when t...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 29, 2020 is: allege • \uh-LEJ\  • verb 1 : to assert without proof or before proving 2 : to bring forward as a reason or excuse Examples: The lawsuit alleges that the company knew about the faulty switches but sold the product anyway. “While the ACCC does not allege Mr Vassella was directly involved in formulating or carrying out the alleged price-fixing scheme, court documents filed by the regulator say he was briefed on the plans within a month of their launch, and given regular presentations on progress for at least the next six months.” — Eric Johnston, The Australian , 27 Dec. 2019 Did you know? These days, someone alleges something before presenting the evidence to prove it (or perhaps without evidence at all), but the word actually derives from the Middle English verb alleggen , meaning “to submit (something) in evidence or as justification.” Alleggen , in turn, traces back to Anglo-French and probably u...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 28, 2020 is: diligent • \DIL-uh-junt\  • adjective : characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking Examples: After many hours of diligent research, the students were ready to compile their results. “Being informed and diligent is a better investing strategy than no strategy at all. And it keeps us from ‘acting ridiculously’ at just the wrong time.” — Nancy Tengler, USA Today , 16 Dec. 2019 Did you know? You’re more likely to be diligent about something if you love doing it. The etymology of diligent reflects the fact that affection can lead to energetic effort. The word, which entered English in the 14th century by way of Anglo-French, descends from the Latin verb diligere , meaning “to value or esteem highly” or “to love.” The Latin diligere was formed by adding the di- prefix (from dis- , “apart”) to the verb legere , an ancestor of the English legend , meaning “to gather, select” or ...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 27, 2020 is: parvenu • \PAHR-vuh-noo\  • noun : one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it Examples: “It’s impossible to exaggerate the rapidity with which Lexus came to dominate the North American luxury market. At its introduction in 1989, its competitors denigrated it as mere parvenu …. By 1990, the LS had become the bestselling large luxury sedan in the land.” — David Booth, The Calgary Herald , 19 July 2019 “Croatia … does not have one of the strongest leagues in the world, one in which most clubs rely on selling young players, for a premium, to the aristocrats and parvenus of England and Spain. In an era in which financial might so often makes right, when the traditional European powerhouses hold the balance of power to a greater extent than at any time in history, … Croatia’s achievement in m...

原文链接 一周又开始了。加油工作！（由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 27, 2020 at 07:05AM

原文链接 一周又开始了。加油工作！（由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 27, 2020 at 07:00AM

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 26, 2020 is: sublimate • \SUB-luh-mayt\  • verb 1 : to pass or cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state 2 : to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable Examples: “These ice crystals are temporary from day to day. They develop at night when the air is at its coldest but melt or sublimate away during the day in warmer air or sunlight.” — Robert Dryja, The Los Alamos (New Mexico) Daily Post , 29 Nov. 2019 “She stalks. She hacks. She grimace-smiles…. She polishes silver with barely-contained fury…. She rides horseback in a manner that announces a ferocious, yet sublimated , desire.” — Dave White, The Wrap , 20 Apr. 2017 Did you know? To sublimate is to change the form, but not the essence. Physically speaking, it means to transform solid to vapor; psychologically, it means changing the outle...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 25, 2020 is: lackluster • \LAK-luss-ter\  • adjective : lacking in sheen, brilliance, or vitality : dull , mediocre Examples: In spite of its owner’s hard work, the coffee shop was forced to close due to lackluster sales. “Say what you will about the Cardinals’ record this season, but they’ve shown fight and played with effort all year other than a lackluster performance during a 34–7 blowout by the Rams.” — Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic , 18 Dec. 2019 Did you know? In its earliest uses, lackluster (also spelled lacklustre ) usually described eyes that were dull or lacking in brightness, as in “a lackluster stare.” Later, it came to describe other things whose sheen had been removed; Charles Dickens, in his 1844 novel Martin Chuzzlewit , writes of the faded image of the dragon on the sign outside a village alehouse: “many a wintry storm of rain, snow, sleet, and hail, had changed his colour from a gaudy b...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 24, 2020 is: euphoria • \yoo-FOR-ee-uh\  • noun : a feeling of well-being or elation Examples: “In February 2014, Xenia gave birth to their daughter, Ella. Ben still recalls the euphoria of watching the nurse place their newborn on Xenia’s chest. He still can’t quite believe the song that played on the operating room radio, the refrain resounding in that moment: God only knows what I’d be without you.” — Caitlin Gibson, The Washington Post Magazine , 9 Dec. 2019 “The floor became a dance-off—in one corner, dozens of girls put all their bags and backpacks in one giant pile, so nobody had to worry where their stuff was, and then danced around the pile in a circle that was really moving to behold, an example of how a Harry Styles concert creates crucial moments of utopian unity and shared euphoria .” — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone , 14 Dec. 2019 Did you know? Health and happiness are often linked, sometimes even in e...

原文链接 周五中午啦～ 吃完午饭，下午继续工作！ （由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 24, 2020 at 12:05PM

原文链接 周五中午啦～ 吃完午饭，下午继续工作！ （由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 24, 2020 at 12:00PM

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 23, 2020 is: outlandish • \out-LAN-dish\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to another country : foreign 2 a : strikingly out of the ordinary : bizarre b : exceeding proper or reasonable limits or standards 3 : remote from civilization Examples: “In a letter sent to his mother … [T.S. Eliot] wrote, ‘I really think that I have far more influence on English letters than any other American has ever had, unless it be Henry James.’ It’s an outlandish claim, even if one allows for the kind of hyperbole to be found in a letter meant to impress one’s parents.” — Kevin Dettmar, The New Yorker , 27 Oct. 2019 “Seana Benz and Jimmy Johansmeyer create a hilarious series of outlandish costumes for the Carnegie sequence, which Woodall showcases in rapid succession.” — Gene Terruso, The Philadelphia Inquirer , 15 Dec. 2019 Did you know? In olden times, English speakers used the phrase “outlandish man” to refer to a foreig...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 22, 2020 is: nurture • \NER-cher\  • verb 1 : to supply with nourishment 2 : educate 3 : to further the development of : foster Examples: The mayor pushed for tax credits for small businesses as a way to nurture economic growth. “ Nurture your marriage. While it’s important to keep the kids happy, it’s also important to set aside time for you and your spouse.” — K. Lori Hanson, The Miami Herald , 17 Dec. 2019 Did you know? It’s no coincidence that nurture is a synonym of nourish —both are derived from the Latin verb nutrire , meaning “to suckle” or “to nourish.” The noun nurture first appeared in English in the 14th century, but the verb didn’t arrive until the 15th century. Originally, the verb nurture meant “to feed or nourish.” The sense meaning “to further the development of” didn’t come into being until the end of the 18th century. Mary Wollstonecraft, mother of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, is ...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 21, 2020 is: bonhomie • \bah-nuh-MEE\  • noun : good-natured easy friendliness Examples: “For older athletes, the bonhomie among teammates and rivals who have spent years sprinting or skating together, or boxing one another out under the rim, is often as important as the exercise. Many have become friends off the court, sharing meals and socializing after games.” — Robert Weisman, The Boston Globe , 4 Dec. 2019 “Throughout its history, the hugely successful TV show ‘Downton Abbey’ warmly embraced the tradition of the Christmas episode, a seasonally themed special that continued the endless narrative but with a particularly romantic and sentimental nod to what audiences wanted on Christmas Day, a time of familial togetherness and bonhomie .” — Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune , 19 Nov. 2019  Did you know? English speakers borrowed bonhomie from French, where the word was created from bonhomme , which means “g...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 20, 2020 is: dauntless • \DAWNT-lus\  • adjective : incapable of being intimidated or subdued : fearless , undaunted Examples: With dauntless persistence, the ship’s crew navigated the vessel through the unexpected storm, escaping with minimal damage and no casualties. “Dug, as dauntless as ever, travels to the stronghold of his foes. The entrance is shielded by one gate after another, each shunting into position with a mighty clang, and finally, in the movie’s best gag, by a little sliding bolt, such as you might find on a garden shed.” — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker , 26 Feb. 2018 Did you know? The history of the world is peopled with dauntless men and women who refused to be “subdued” or “tamed” by fear. The word dauntless can be traced back to Latin domare , meaning “to tame” or “to subdue.” When our verb daunt (a domare descendant adopted by way of Anglo-French) was first used in the 14th century, it sha...

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原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 19, 2020 is: intercalate • \in-TER-kuh-layt\  • verb 1 : to insert (something, such as a day) in a calendar 2 : to insert between or among existing elements or layers Examples: “The fossiliferous deposits … consist of pale pinkish-orange brown clays, brownish grey siltstones and shale, and greenish grey fine to medium grained sandstones intercalated with dark grey conglomerates….” — M. A. Khan, et al., The Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences , 31 Dec. 2011 “In order for a lunar calendar to keep up with the solar year and the seasons, it is necessary to intercalate a 13th lunar month every two or three years.” — Sacha Stern, Calendars in Antiquity: Empires, States, and Societies , 2012 Did you know? Intercalate was formed from the Latin prefix inter- , meaning “between” or “among,” and the Latin verb calāre , meaning “to proclaim” or “to announce.” It was originally associated with proclaiming the addition of ...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 18, 2020 is: vicarious • \vye-KAIR-ee-us\  • adjective 1 : experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another 2 a : serving instead of someone or something else b : that has been  delegated 3 : performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another : substitutionary 4 : occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one Examples: “‘Gravity’ is a brilliantly realized, completely riveting, dread-drenched science fiction thriller about two astronauts stranded in orbit around Earth. And it turns out to be one amazing vicarious experience, simultaneously dream and nightmare, with a set of cinematic illusions that simply—well, maybe not so simply—astounds.” — Bill Wine, The Chestnut Hill Local (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 15 Nov. 2019 “What kind of a play might Shakespeare hav...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 17, 2020 is: tontine • \TAHN-teen\  • noun : a joint financial arrangement whereby the participants usually contribute equally to a prize that is awarded entirely to the participant who survives all the others Examples: “For denizens of the realm, tontines were a very popular twist on the annuity because they appealed to the gambling spirit. An annuity would pay you a steady trickle of money (boring). A tontine would pay you more and more as time went on because other people would be dying and you would be accumulating their shares.” — Jeff Guo, The Washington Post , 28 Sept. 2015 “Lord Deverell wanted a loan from me based upon his contribution. Wanted out of the tontine entirely, rather, but without having to go to the trouble of dying.” — Theresa Romain, Lady Notorious , 2019 Did you know? Tontines were named after their creator, a Neapolitan banker named Lorenzo Tonti. In 1653, Tonti convinced investors...

原文链接 周五中午啦～ 吃完午饭，下午继续工作！ （由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 17, 2020 at 12:00PM

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 16, 2020 is: hirsute • \HER-soot\  • adjective 1 : hairy 2 : covered with coarse stiff hairs Examples: Turner wore a hirsute mask as part of his werewolf costume for the school play. “Berry is a stocky, hirsute fellow, with a big, rich voice that immediately calls to mind the word ‘thespian’ and gives everything he says a sheen of (over)dramatic irony….” — Robert Lloyd, The Los Angeles Times , 3 Dec. 2019 Did you know? Hirsute has nearly the same spelling and exactly the same meaning as its Latin parent, hirsutus . The word isn’t quite one of a kind, though—it has four close relatives: hirsutism and hirsuties , synonymous nouns naming a medical condition involving excessive hair growth; hirsutal , an adjective meaning “of or relating to hair”; and hirsutulous , a mostly botanical term meaning “slightly hairy” (as in “hirsutulous stems”). The Latin hirsutus is also an etymological cousin to horrēre , meaning ...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 15, 2020 is: artifice • \AHR-tuh-fus\  • noun 1 a : clever or artful skill : ingenuity   b : an ingenious device or expedient 2 a : an artful stratagem : trick   b : false or insincere behavior Examples: “A generation that’s grown up with Snapchat-filtered selfies and pop feminism seems to have an innate understanding that artifice  doesn’t negate authenticity, or that a penchant for towering wigs and acrylic nails doesn’t prevent someone from being a songwriting genius.” — Lindsay Zoladz, The New York Times , 21 Nov. 2019 “It could all be rather enervating , but the sheer polish and panache of the cast’s fluttering antics brings a smile to the lips—and Wilson introduced a soupçon of reality to offset the artifice . Having pretended to have a boyfriend, wealthy heiress Polly Browne … affects to be a humble secretary after she’s instantly smitten with errant rich-kid Tony, who’s slumming it as...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 14, 2020 is: lily-livered • \LILL-ee-LIV-erd\  • adjective : lacking courage : cowardly Examples: “The deus ex machina  aspect of Mando’s comrades popping up to save him and Baby Yoda from certain death once he proved he wasn’t a lily-livered Empire flunky kind of irked me, but I often have that complaint with sci-fi and superhero stories, both of which are prone to ending battles with an out-of-nowhere assist.” — Katie Rife, The A.V. Club , 22 Nov. 2019 “I did see more salads than should be allowed in a place like this—something the tentacle-bearded sea captain would surely dismiss as lily-livered landlubber food. And when you’re deep inside the belly of Helmsman Ale House, marvelling at the … original arched, wood-beam ceilings that make you feel as if you’ve been swallowed by the hull of an ancient schooner, salad seems a silly thing to eat, especially while you’re chugging a pint.” — Edwin Goei, OC Weekly...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 13, 2020 is: glom • \GLAHM\  • verb 1 : take , steal 2 : seize , catch Examples: “It would not surprise me if the sampling ‘Fleabag’ receives from glomming an Emmy sets it up as a series that makes viewers eagerly await new seasons.” — Neal Zoren, The Delaware County (Pennsylvania) Daily Times , 30 Sept. 2019 “The Captain is the alter ego of the kids’ school principal, a real grump named Krupp … who can’t stand laughter or those boys. A magic plastic hypno -ring glommed out of a cereal box puts him under the lads’ spell and has him peeling down to his underpants and going forth to, well, mess things up.” — Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times , 1 June 2017 Did you know? It’s a classic case of glomming: Americans seized on glaum (a term from Scots dialect that basically means “to grab”) and appropriated it as their own, changing it to glom in the process. Glom first meant “to steal” (as in the purse-snatching, ...

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原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 12, 2020 is: weal • \WEEL\  • noun : a sound, healthy, or prosperous state : well-being Examples: Before presenting the bill to the legislature, the senator spoke of devotion to the general weal . “All our life … is but a mass of habits,—practical, emotional, and intellectual,—systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be.” — William James, Talks to Teachers on Psychology , 1899 Did you know? Weal is most often used in contexts referring to the general good. One reads, for example, of the “public weal” or the “common weal.” The latter of these led to the formation of the noun commonweal , a word that once referred to an organized political entity, such as a nation or state, but today usually means “the general welfare.” The word commonwealth shares these meanings, but its situation is reversed; the “political entity” sense of commonwealt...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 11, 2020 is: convoke • \kun-VOHK\  • verb : to call together to a meeting Examples: “The gloves were off now, and to mobilize every possible moral and military advantage, the pope convoked a general church Council in Rome for 1241.” — Adrian House, Francis of Assisi , 2000 “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently convoked a committee charged with proposing new standards for particle pollution, and two experts recommended a more careful look at exposure to harvest dust.” — Garth Stapley, The Modesto (California) Bee , 10 Sept. 2016 Did you know? The Latin noun vox (“voice”) and verb vocare (“to call”) have given rise to many English words,  including convoke . Other English descendants of those roots are usually spelled with voc and have to do with speaking or calling. Thus, a vocation is a special calling to a type of work; an evocative sight or smell calls forth memories and feelings; and a v...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 10, 2020 is: elixir • \ih-LIK-ser\  • noun 1 a (1) : a substance held to be capable of changing base metals into gold (2) : a substance held to be capable of prolonging life indefinitely b (1) : cure-all (2) : a medicinal concoction 2 : a sweetened liquid usually containing alcohol that is used in medication either for its medicinal ingredients or as a flavoring 3 : the essential principle Examples: While the new sports complex is hardly an elixir for all of the city’s economic woes, it should spur some much-needed job growth. “Before turning in on a really cold night, a hot toddy really helps knock off the edge. My elixir of choice is a cup of hot apple cider mixed with a shot of 12 Point Bourbon.” — Bryan Hendricks, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , 14 Nov. 2019 Did you know? Elixir has roots in the practice of alchemy ; it was used in the Middle Ages as the word for a substance believed to be capa...

原文链接 周五中午啦～ 吃完午饭，下午继续工作！ （由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 10, 2020 at 12:05PM

原文链接 周五中午啦～ 吃完午饭，下午继续工作！ （由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 10, 2020 at 12:00PM

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 9, 2020 is: belated • \bih-LAY-tud\  • adjective 1 : delayed beyond the usual time 2 : existing or appearing past the normal or proper time Examples: Olivia called her friend on his birthday to let him know that a belated gift from her was on its way. “Although it airs in Hebrew and Yiddish with English subtitles, Shtisel  … has become such an international favorite that its creators are contemplating a belated third season, while  Friends  and  Grace and Frankie co-creator Marta Kauffman is working on an American version.” — Joy Press, Vanity Fair , 29 Aug. 2019 Did you know? Long ago, there was a verb belate , which meant “to make late.” From the beginning, belate tended to mostly turn up in the form of its past participle, belated . Eventually, belate itself fell out of use, leaving behind belated as an adjective that preserved the original notion of delay. As you may have g...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 8, 2020 is: surfeit • \SER-fut\  • noun 1 : an overabundant supply : excess 2 : an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (such as food or drink) 3 : disgust caused by excess Examples: “The fracking boom in the United States has led to a surfeit of natural gas worldwide.” — Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic , 3 Dec. 2019        “So we’re keeping an eye on the next big opening, Limalimo, a 14-room lodge slated to debut in the Simien Mountains National Park in January or February. The design looks set to establish new standards: slick, sustainable (built of rammed earth and thatch), and with surfeits of natural light.” — Maria Shollenbarger, The Condé Nast Traveler , 31 Aug. 2015 Did you know? There is an abundance—you could almost say a surfeit—of English words that derive from the Latin facere , meaning “to do.” The connection to facere is fairly obvious for words s...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 7, 2020 is: dragoon • \druh-GOON\  • verb 1 : to subjugate or persecute by harsh use of troops 2 : to force into submission or compliance especially by violent measures Examples: The ragtag force, composed mostly of young men dragooned from the surrounding villages, quickly surrendered to the more professional army of its foes. “Too often, when a performer interacts with an audience, it’s a cringe-fest: at best awkward, at worst humiliating for the poor spectator dragooned into serving as a prop.” — Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe , 25 Sept. 2019 Did you know? A dragoon was a mounted European infantryman of the 17th and 18th centuries armed with a firearm called by the same name. No arm-twisting should be needed to get you to believe that the firearm’s name, which came to English from French, is derived from its semblance to a fire-breathing dragon when fired. History has recorded the dragonish nature of the drag...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 6, 2020 is: agrarian • \uh-GRAIR-ee-un\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to fields or lands or their tenure 2 a :  of, relating to, or characteristic of farmers or their way of life b : organized or designed to promote agricultural interests Examples: “Young children were encouraged to take part in adult activities as soon as they were able…. In agrarian societies they had always been expected to help out at home and in the fields from an early age.” — The Economist , 5 Jan. 2019 “The Village of Dunchurch is no exception…. Even as the region diversifies from its agricultural base and develops with extravagant cottages dotting the lakes, the village’s agrarian roots are proudly celebrated during the course of this annual festivity.” — The Parry Sound North Star , 7 Aug. 2019 Did you know? Today, an acre is generally considered to be a unit of land measuring 43,560 square feet (4,047 square meters). Before t...

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原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 5, 2020 is: permutation • \per-myoo-TAY-shun\  • noun 1 : often major or fundamental change (as in character or condition) based primarily on rearrangement of existent elements; also : a form or variety resulting from such change 2 a : the act or process of changing the lineal order of an ordered set of objects b : an ordered arrangement of a set of objects Examples: “Scientists have performed many permutations of the original MHC study, but the results suggest that people choose mates that have MHC genes that are dissimilar to their own—although not too dissimilar.” — Caitlin O’Connell, Elephant Don: The Politics of a Pachyderm Posse , 2015 “Two weeks after Wilder and Ortiz meet in the ring, Joshua and Ruiz plan to fight again in Saudi Arabia, which could generate several permutations of follow-up bouts, depending on who wins.” — John Eligon, The New York Times , 22 Nov. 2019 Did you know? Permutation h...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 4, 2020 is: mendacious • \men-DAY-shus\  • adjective : given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth Examples: Students in the class analyze political speeches and learn how to separate exaggerations and mendacious claims from verifiable facts. “The periodical’s skeptical approach to advertisers and authority figures helped raise a less credulous and more critical generation in the 1960s and 1970s. Today’s media environment differs considerably from the era in which Mad [Magazine] flourished. But it could be argued that consumers are dealing with many of the same issues, from devious advertising to mendacious  propaganda.” — Michael J. Socolow, The Washington Post , 16 May 2018 Did you know? Mendacious and lying have very similar meanings, but the two are not interchangeable. Mendacious is more formal and literary, suggesting a deception harmless enough to be conside...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 3, 2020 is: foible • \FOY-bul\  • noun 1 : the part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point 2 : a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior : weakness Examples: “From family foibles  to practical jokes to heritage-based barbs, we embrace it all with laughter and shrugs. Everybody’s got skeletons in their closet; we might as well laugh.” — Paula Brewer, The Bangor (Maine) Daily News , 22 Nov. 2019 “Stand-up comedians, those unvarnished truth tellers and astute observers of human nature, are funniest when they mine their own human foibles for laughs, with bonus points for relatability.” — The Las Vegas Weekly , 20 Nov. 2019 Did you know? In the 1600s, English speakers borrowed the French word foible to refer to the weakest part of the sword or foil, that part being the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. Despite the superficial resemblance, foible does not come from foil...

原文链接 周五中午啦～ 吃完午饭，下午继续工作！ （由 IFTTT 发送） Lake桑 January 03, 2020 at 12:00PM

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 2, 2020 is: cosmeticize • \kahz-MET-uh-syze\  • verb : to make (something unpleasant or ugly) superficially attractive Examples: The documentary takes a hard look at life in the camp, never once cosmeticizing the experience of its inhabitants. “This time around, [Florian Henckel] von Donnersmarck is striving to deliver an epic that’s palatable to wider audiences. But in cosmeticizing the painter’s life, making this more of a love story crossed with wartime intrigue, he has overshot his target. With a little more truth, Never Look Away could have been really beautiful.” — Andrea Gronvall, The Chicago Reader , 15 Feb. 2019 Did you know? Cosmeticize first appeared in print in the early 19th century as a descendant of the noun cosmetic . Originally, its use was often literal, with the meaning “to apply a cosmetic to,” but today it is more frequently used figuratively. Cosmeticize does occasionally draw criticism; ...

原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for January 1, 2020 is: redux • \ree-DUKS\  • adjective : brought back—used postpositively Examples: Following a spell of unseasonably warm weather in late March, April felt like winter redux as temperatures plunged back below freezing. “With No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama facing off in the ‘Game of the Century’ redux , ticket prices are surging to levels rarely seen across college football.” — Jeff Nowak, The New Orleans Advocate , 5 Nov. 2019 Did you know? In Latin, redux (from the verb reducere , meaning “to lead back”) can mean “brought back” or “bringing back.” The Romans used redux as an epithet for the goddess Fortuna with its “bringing back” meaning; Fortuna Redux was trusted to bring those far from home back safely. It was the “brought back” meaning that made its way into English. Redux belongs to a small class of English adjectives that are always used postpositively —that is, they always follow the words they modi...

原文链接 又是一年。 新年好。 下略。 Lake桑 January 01, 2020 at 12:00AM